


Checkmate

by cafecomleite



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 12:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30005112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafecomleite/pseuds/cafecomleite
Summary: We all know that little Wheatley hates being called a moron, and we all know how much GLaDOS loves to insult him. But what would happen if  the "moron" stopped caring about insults?
Kudos: 8





	Checkmate

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: The author would like to warn you right now that this fanfic was translated by Google Translate, so he asks you to be understandable with any errors found.

Wheatley roamed the facilities through the management tracks, watching and enjoying their corridors and areas, while whistling the only stretch he knew of a song he had heard, a long time ago. The Intelligence Dampening Core, observed the other cores pass and go to their respective jobs, or towards any diversion or entertainment.

He had also saved some time to gossip, spy and listen to the conversations that the other constructs developed among themselves, and most of the time, the themes of the conversations for Wheatley, were negligible, and precisely for that reason, he did not evaluate them.

"Moron." She said, in her typical monotonous voice, drawing the attention of the metal ball that she despised so much.

Wheatley just rolled his single eye from side to side and sighed, moving his core and expressing his displeasure. He didn’t yell at her, he didn’t insist on saying he wasn’t an moron, because due to the prolonged and extended time he was in exile and stuck in space, he had great and magnificent opportunities to reflect on various themes and aspects of his life, and do you know one of the conclusions he had reached?

He wasn't an moron, and if she or any other stupid human or robot thought that, honestly, damn it! He would not have tantrums in relation to this, because for him, GLaDOS was so mediocre that not even his contempt she deserved ...

"What's it?" He asked, bored.

"Stop wasting time, and keep walking towards your new housing chamber." Said GLaDOS, still in his monotonous voice.

Wheatley just moved his core again and sighed, and without saying another word, continued on his way.

And so it was, he remained distanced more and more, passing and crossing entire kilometers, because GLaDOS wished he were as far away from her as possible.

The small core stopped, when realizing that it would have to cross a great abyss, and within that abyss, as far as his vision could reach, Wheatley could see gigantic crushing plates.

"Proceed." GLaDOS's voice echoed.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not." Wheatley replied, turning and looking for some new direction for himself.

"You will never reach your resting chamber unless you continue through that abyss ..."

"Look, GLaDOS ..." It was the first time he called her by her name. "In a different way than you think, I am not an moron. I have no doubt that at some point, when I am crossing that abyss, you will bring me down to be crushed, then, no! Thank you very much, but, I am not willing to follow the path you designed for me ... "

He heard what could be the equivalent of a robotic growl, she was tired, frustrated and very angry. But it was true, she had felt a little of that desire. To see him fall off the management track and succumb to his crushing punishment would be a wonderfully satisfying thing to see, that was what she considered ...

"You will have to learn to trust me." Said GLaDOS, still in that cold, insensitive voice, as she blocked all the passages and paths that Wheatley could take advantage of to continue his walk, in a safer way. "Only that way remains for you ..."

"No, I will not cross that abyss, GLaDOS." Said the small core, looking at one of the cameras that were attached and fixed on one of the nearby walls. "Again, I'm sorry, but not."

"In that case, it will never reach your chamber." She said.

"All right." Wheatley replied, heading for a small hole in one of the walls. Upon entering, he noticed that the place was quite spacious, and could serve very well as a kind of substitute personal camera! He even had a view of a test chamber! He could have fun watching ATLAS and P-Body testing and failing miserably ...

"This is a good place." Said Wheatley, to himself. "I suppose I can stay here."

"You can not." GLaDOS said, insensibly. "If you want somewhere to rest, you will have to cross the abyss so that you can finally reach your destination."

"Even if that destination could possibly be death ..." Said Wheatley, again, rolling his optics. "No, thank you very much. Understand, I don't want to and I won't do that ..."

"Okay then. Just stay away from me." She said. She was already getting tired of arguing with that idiot, If he didn't trust her, who would be harmed would be just him ...

"Fair." Wheatley replied, saying more to himself than to her.

After a while, he approached so that he could take a closer look at the test chamber. It was large, with a few lasers and a large toxic pool flooding its bottom. Lethal, but not so much ...

Being bored, Wheatley accessed his personal drawing program, which had previously been installed on his system when he was still being programmed. The small core was an amateur artist, however, the long period of time he had spent in space, in addition to offering him opportunities to reflect aspects of his life, gave him the opportunity to improve his artistic skills.

When opening the program, his optics transmitted a bluish holographic square screen, with a large sheet of paper, and an array of colors, tools and other materials for his masterpieces. When he mentally selected a brush, he started drawn the test chamber ...

"What are you doing?" She questioned, looking at him through one of the cameras.

"Drawing." He answered simply.

She adjusted the camera so she could analyze it better. All she saw was this:

"This is the most naive work of art I have ever seen." She said, in an unreadable voice.

He didn't respond, no expression of hurt or fury.

GLaDOS moved her chassi. Why didn't he just react to her insults? Why didn't he scream? Why did he show no signs of anger or sadness? Had he become stoic?

She remained watching him, while he began another of his ridiculous attempts at drawing. Now he was drawing himself:

"There! I've never seen a core as beautiful as these ..." Said Wheatley, with his optics showing all his happiness and pride.

"I suppose you have never seen many cores." GLaDOS said, again, testing him. She wanted to see how long he would be able to maintain that calmness that she had somehow managed to project ...

Again, without answering anything, Wheatley started another drawing. Absences of reaction on his part, for some reason, worried GLaDOS. It seemed that she no longer had so much power over him, it seemed that she could no longer hurt him with her curses and insults, for the simple fact that he did not seem to care.

It was as if he had "grown" and "matured", as those pests called humans do, and now, as an "adult", he no longer had tantrums like a child would ...

Well, she was still better than him, anyway. She never had to "grow and mature", for the simple fact that she was always stoic, rational, self-sufficient and insensitive to insults and curses from others, unlike him, It did her better than he did, right? She didn't need to grow ...

He remained drawing while GLaDOS carried out such reflections. The drawing this time was a fight between ATLAS and P-body.

"Hmmm ..." Wheatley narrowed his eyes, trying to think of cursing. "What insults could they use against each other? OH, I KNOW! ATLAS would call P-Body an egghead, and P-Body would call ATLAS fat!" Said the small core, while adding phrase balloons to the drawing.

"Only an moron would think that my cooperative robots would be so moronic as to curse with these moronic curses. And know, that I will personally show them your naive and insulting drawing. I look forward to finding out their reaction ..." Said GLaDOS, for the third time, trying to light a spark of fury and fear on the little idiot.

"OK." Wheatley replied, starting another drawing. Today, he was quite inspired. "I hope they have fun ..."

And then she turned away from him, and focused her attention on her cooperative robots, which by a great coincidence, were discussing at that very moment, and GLaDOS listened carefully to the discussion. ATLAs let out some robotic noises, which meant "You are an egghead!"

"And you are fat!" P-Body replied, furious, as she punched her partner in science.

GLaDOS couldn't believe it, that moron was right, which was completely unbelievable! Her cooperative robots really were so stupid as to curse each other through those childish curses ...

"You both embarrass me." Said GLaDOS, communicating with ATLAS and P-Body, who had instantly stopped arguing while listening to their leader's voice. However, it didn't take long for them to point at each other and accuse each other together:

"I don't want to know who started it, I just want it to end." GLaDOS replied, without sensitivity. "Start testing, NOW."

They did not hesitate to obey, and for a long period of time GLaDOS watched them test, go through some of the challenges of the chambers and fail in others, requiring the reconstruction of their metal bodies.

"Pathetic." Said GLaDOS, with contempt, while looking at the shattered pieces of ATLAS and P-Body.

After finally completing the list of test chambers, GLaDOS informed them that they had completed the course and that they were excused for the time being, but that they should remain alert so that they could hear it by calling them to test again at the scheduled time. With that done, once again she turned her attention to the idiot, who was still drawing. This time, he had drawn other cores, such as Rick, the Adventure Core, in addition to Space Core and Fact Core.

"Productive ..." said GLaDOS, slowly. "Is that what you plan to do during your life? These naive attempts at drawing? If you listened and followed my advice to cross that abyss so that you could reach your rest chamber, I would give you a job that was truly productive for the facility."

"Well, I wouldn't take that job in any way." Wheatley replied. "I don't want to be productive at all for this place."

"Do you know what happens to cores that do not contribute to the development of Aperture Science? They are incenerate ..." Said GLaDOS, with his optics shining, satisfied with the threat she offered to that small and despicable moron, without a doubt, he would start shaking and stammering, begging for mercy ...

"PFFT!" Exclaimed Wheatley, reproducing that scorn perfectly. "I doooon't careeee!" He sang to her, expressing his debauchery.

The sensation of burning fury flooded the thoughts and chassis of GLaDOS. She wanted so badly to kill, crush or torture that naughty little core now! Worse, he was practically begging for those fates and retaliation.

When she was about to send it directly to the incinerator, she composed herself. She couldn't do that, at least, not now. First, she would have to destroy and injure the confidence, pride and inflated ego of that metal ball, then torture it and kill it in the incinerator. However, she would need to wait for the perfect opportunity for that ...

And the opportunity was not long in coming. There he was, drawing Chell, the test subject ...

She would hurt him for his slip, making him remember how he had hurt the only friend she had made ...

"Congratulations. I see you are trying hard to draw the one you betrayed ..." Said GLaDOS, with his usual sadistic and cold tone, accompanied by a twinge of morbid amusement.

He did not react, he remained drawing the woman known as The Master of the Portal Gun.

"Do you remember how you betrayed her by taking control of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, knocking her and me to the lowest levels of the facility? Remember how you put her in danger, testing her in hostile chambers, forcing her to face your morbid plans? "

Once again, he insisted on continuing to perfect his unfortunate drawing and remain silent, to the unhappiness and discontent of GLaDOS.

"Do you remember ..." Her voice became even colder. "From the threats, insults and curses you gave her? How did you try to kill her personally, through your stupid crush plates and bombs?"

This time, he reacted ...

He closed his optics and sighed slowly. She was managing to hurt him, finally ...

She just needed to keep refreshing his memory ...

Once again Wheatley sighed and rocked his body. However, doing what would be the same as breathing deeply, he raised and opened his optics, casting a defiant look at the horizon. It was like he could actually feel air going through his nonexistent lungs ...

GLaDOS moved her chassis, she was genuinely confused, and maybe even a little intimidated, she had never seen Wheatley do that look before. He looked so different from the weak moron that she had met before. Now he seemed to be a new core, even more determined and fearless than Rick could ever be in his wildest dreams of honor and glory.

She searched for something to say, something she could use to insult him and reduce him to the insignificant core he used to be, but there was simply nothing else she could add.

However, he still had a lot to talk about.

"I will not torture myself anymore, GLaDOS. And I will not allow you to hurt me." Wheatley said, without even looking at the camera. "I understand that I made a horrible mistake, and I regret it. However, I will no longer suffer for things I have done in the past, and that is not being insensitive, it is self-love. But do not call me soulless, because I want to apologize and to explain to me, and if she doesn’t accept my apology, I’ll fully understand, but I won’t suffer, because I won’t shatter internally for not receiving her forgiveness, and the memories of that dark past will die inside me and be lost forever, and I will do it for myself. "

GLaDOS remained quiet for some time, processing what she had heard.

"You do everything for you. And just for you..." She said, after a few more seconds. Her voice was unreadable ...

He just went back to drawing, once again completely ignoring her existence, and all her desire to kill and torture him, had been drained.

Her chassis ached and she just couldn't think straight, she stood there, paralyzed, just looking at him. For a moment, she even considered that it was malfunctioning, that some of her processors had crashed, and even considered that she was dying ...

How? Why and how did he manage to break her and reduce her to failure? How did he manage to damage her processors?

She felt so insignificant around him now, It was as if he were a giant, much more giant than he had ever been, even when he was connected to her chassis, and she was intimidated by it.

She again sought that fury and desire to kill him, but it had simply disappeared completely, she couldn't send he to the incinerator, she just couldn't. It was as if she had again lost control of the facility ...

In trying to hurt him, humiliate him, hurt his dignity, pride, courage and noble confidence, he, with his resistance and humility, with his tranquility and serenity, abruptly wounded her pride, shattering it into a thousand pieces. And she felt weak, she had been weak...

And a coward, for trying to hurt the heart of such a noble core. 

And the feeling that she had inside her was similar to what humans would call "tightness in the heart." ...

She quickly moved her chassis, where are these thoughts coming from? She hates him! But still, she was forced to acknowledge the following fact:

This time, he had beaten her. This time, unconsciously, he had called her an moron, and she unconsciously took the bait, shouting and insisting that she was not an moron, and now, she no longer had any power over him, because his self-confidence freed him ...

GLaDOS even thought that insults from her would hurt that fat lunatic monster as much as they hurt Wheatley, but the only reason that killer didn't replicate her insults was because she was mute. If she knew how to speak, perhaps she would act in a similar way as Wheatley ...

Improbable, but it was not impossible, GLaDOS remembered seeing Chell's facial expression twitch and turn into a frown every time she heard the cruel and insensitive jokes, the nasty comments and etc ...

Would she have been able to ignore such cruelty, and become stoic as Wheatley had done? It's possible...

The Main Core felt more and more tired, herchassis seemed to be heavier than usual, her mind was getting more and more blurred, and his vision was beginning to darken ...

She looked at Wheatley once again, he remained looking at the camera, with that same confident look as before... 

That was the only thing she saw before her systems collapsed, because of her wounded pride.

His self-confidence. That had been the checkmate.

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction is based on my following assumption:
> 
> GLaDOS would collapse when he discovered that his insults and curses had become ineffective for Wheatley, which would make her as hurt as our beloved Inteligence Dampening Core when he was called moron. Maybe it doesn't make sense to you, but it does to me, so ...


End file.
